Page 87 of Wreck Me

“Being me and all that it entailed caused a lot of issues, a lot of painful things—for me and others.”

“So you’re doing everything not to be you?”

“I was until your stubbornness and relentlessness entered my life.”

“You know how I feel about all that denial, all those lies.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’ve made that perfectly clear.” She sipped at more of her coffee, then told me, “For now then, when I’m around you and maybe even Caleb, I’ll forgo that denial.”

“Be the real you without me having to coax it out all the time?”

“Yeah. I mean, it feels safe to be that way.”

“With me?”

She looked away, but actually admitted, “Yeah.”

I stilled.

I couldn’t fucking believe it.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” she said, noticing my reaction. “That’s the last thing needed.”

“Hey, my ego’s not as big or as insufferable as you’re making it out to be.”

“If you say so.”

I reached out and tickled her under her ribs and she squirmed and shrieked. “Hmm, good to know you’re highly ticklish, beautiful.”

“Stop!” she cried through her shrieking and giggling, batting me away.

“Say it,” I pushed, dodging her attempts to escape my tickle torture.

“Okay! God, okay! It’s not… it’s not that bad! Some of the time.”

I stopped and grinned at her. “I let you get away with that some of the time thing.”

“Aww, the generosity is melting my heart,” she said, mockingly slapping a hand to her chest.

“I guess I’ll just have to prove it then.”

“I guess you will.”

We returned to eating our food and then she eyed my silver pendant. “So, what’s the deal with that? I noticed that Caleb has the same one.”

“Caspian does too. It’s a brotherhood sort of thing, a symbol of our bond, all the shit we’ve been through together.”

“Why the different colors?”

I ran my fingers over the angel wings, then the heart, and settled on the blue gemstone. “Blue is mine because I’m the calm element of our trio. I rein them in, bring peace, if you will. Cal’s is red to represent his passion and intensity.”

“And King?”

“Purple.” I grinned. “For the whole regal thing he’s got going on.”

“Being the King of Rossun? And, what, the leader of your group?”

“Yes to the former. Partly to the latter. It’s more of a democracy, but if the final word needs to be had, it’s likely Cas who’ll call it, yeah.”

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